Riff Tone

Heart-Shaped Box

Nirvana

Guitarrock1990s

Original Gear

GuitarFender Jaguar (early 1960s, modified with DiMarzio Super Distortion bridge pickup and black Seymour Duncan Hot Rails neck pickup)

AmpFender Twin Reverb (Silverface, late 1970s)

PickupsDiMarzio Super Distortion (bridge), Seymour Duncan Hot Rails (neck)

Amp Settings

gain6.5

bass6

mid7

treble6

reverb2

presence5

Effects & Signal Chain

distortionBoss Boss DS-2 Turbo Distortion

Notes

Studio recording, 1993. Guitar: Fender Jaguar with humbucker in bridge, used for 'In Utero' sessions. Amp: Fender Twin Reverb, as confirmed by multiple sources for 'In Utero' era. No evidence of Vox AC30 or Mesa/Boogie for this song. Settings estimated based on genre, era, and typical Cobain approach. Pedals: Boss DS-2 Turbo Distortion for main riff. No chorus, flanger, or delay audible in riff section.

Tone Character(10)

gritty and rawpunchy attacktight palm-muted chugsmidrange-forwardslightly compresseddynamic responsenot overly saturatedpercussiveaggressiveclear note definition

Difficulty

The riff requires tight palm muting, dynamic control, and precise attack for the signature punchy sound, but does not involve advanced techniques or fast playing.

Sources

Kurt Cobain's Guitar Rig, Gear & Pedalboard - Equipboard Nirvana's Heart Shaped Box tone : r/GuitarAmps - Reddit Kurt Cobain Amp Settings Infographic : r/guitarlessons - Reddit

This tone has been researched 19 times by the community

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